Not-so NATO-ally? Germany spying on Turkey for ‘38 years’

German foreign intelligence agency has been tapping Turkey for almost four decades, reports Focus amid the ongoing spy scandal between Berlin and Ankara. Some German officials defend the practice, saying that not all NATO allies can be treated as friends.

The German Federal Intelligence Service, BND, has been
eavesdropping on Turkey since 1976 following the Social Democrat
Chancellor Helmut Schmidt’s government approval, Focus magazine
wrote on Saturday.

Passions over previous spying allegations revealed in the media are still running high, but a
new report may add fuel to the fire triggering further tensions
between the two long-time North Atlantic Treaty Organization
allies.

As for the current BND’s mandate to keep their eye on Turkish
political and social institutions, it had also been given a green
light by a government working group, which brought together
representatives of the chancellor's office, the defense, foreign
and economy ministries, reported Focus, citing government
sources.

A spokesman for the German government declined to comment on the
report, Reuters writes.

But conservative lawmaker Hans-Peter Uhl advocated the BND
surveillance on Turkey, saying that there were “good
reasons” for that. He referred to such issues of concern as
human trafficking, drugs and terrorism.

“We need to know what is coming to us from EU-applicant
Turkey,” he told Focus.

The government in Ankara said it would thoroughly investigate the
report. On Monday, the German ambassador to Turkey was summoned
to the Foreign Ministry in Ankara for a meeting.

“This is a grave situation that needs to be explained by
Germany if there is slightest truth to these allegations,”
the ministry said in a statement. “Such practices in
relations among friends and allies, which should be built on
mutual trust and respect, are in no way acceptable.”

Some Turkish officials later downplayed the tension, with
Interior Minister Efkan Ala even calling the spying a
“normal,” though “unnecessary” practice in
remarks to local broadcaster TGRT.

The report also triggered an uproar from German Chancellor Angela
Merkel’s critics, who accused her of hypocrisy. Merkel earlier
preached that “friends should not be spying on friends”
in the wake of US National Security Agency (NSA) leaks scandal.

However, a German government source cited by Allgemeine
Sonntagszeitung offered an explanation to Merkel’s standpoint.

“We have never claimed in the past years that this position
applies to every NATO country,” the government source said.

According to the unnamed official, for Berlin Turkey could not be
compared to the US or European partners like France or the UK.

At the same time, as the country hosting the largest Turkish
population outside Turkey (about 3 million people), Germany is
very much connected to problems of Turkish society, the source
explained. He then cited security considerations ranging from the
activities of extremist Turkish and Kurdish groups to drug
smuggling and human-trafficking.

The Turkish government has also been trying for some time to
assert its political goals through Turkish groups and
associations in Germany, the source alleged.

The recent scandal first unveiled after Der Spiegel newspaper
revealed on August 17 that the BND has spied on Turkey at least
since 2009. Additionally, according to German media, the
country’s intelligence agency also intercepted at least one phone
call of US Secretary of State John Kerry and one made by former
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Ironically, the report about Berlin spying on its NATO fellow
came amid Germany’s outrage over allegations that the NSA had
eavesdropped on millions of Germans, including the tapping of
Chancellor Merkel’s cell phone.

The information on America’s alleged spying on Germany was first
leaked by US whistleblower Edward Snowden in October last year.
Merkel reacted angrily, calling President Barack Obama and
telling him that such practices were unacceptable between
friends.

The scandal got a new twist in July this year when two US agents
were unmasked, suspected of acting as double agents within the
state security apparatus, and passing secrets to American
intelligence contacts. In response, Germany expelled the Berlin
CIA chief from the country.